The woman accused of helping Army Specialist Aaron Robinson dispose of the body of Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen pleaded guilty on Tuesday to accessory after the fact and three counts of making a false statement, avoiding a trial that was set to begin in January.
Cecily Aguilar now faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and 12 years supervised release after her prison term., KWTX reported.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Aguilar was indicted on 11 counts for her role in helping Robinson dismember and bury Guillen’s body after he beat her to death with a hammer in April 2020. Robinson and Aguilar, who was married to another soldier, were having an affair.
Investigators believe Robinson killed fellow specialist Guillen when she saw a picture on Aguilar on his phone’s lock screen and was concerned she would report him for violating the army’s rules about fraternization.
After killing Guillen, Robinson stuffed her body into a Pelican case and contacted Aguilar to help him. Contractors working on a fence row found the body on June 30, 2020. Aguilar was arrested that same day, but Robinson shot and killed himself as police were closing in on him.
“We actually thought she was going to keep fighting back … There’s still a lot of mixed emotions — both anger and frustration — now we are going to have to wait for the actual sentencing,” said Guillen’s sister Mayra, who was in the federal courtroom with her parents, KHOU reported.
A sentencing date has not been set.
The attorney for Guillen’s family said that the guilty plea is “another step on the long path toward justice for Vanessa, my client, and her courageous family.”
“I will never stop fighting for my clients and will continue to seek and demand justice for victims and their families until it’s achieved,” Natalie Khawam told KWTX,
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[Featured image:Cecily Aguilar; Bell County SO/Vanessa Aguilar; Family Handout]